Rescue Academy
The rescue academy with the master's degree in progress
The "Rescue Academy" is born in Cervia, organized by the Cervia lifeguards cooperative in collaboration with the FIN-Italian Swimming Federation. The first example in Italy, it is a free "Master of operational improvement in sea rescue", for which registration is open, and aimed at all adults after having obtained the FIN license to become rescue sailors.
Passing the Master gives the opportunity to have the FIN lifesaving license reimbursed and to be hired for a minimum of 60 days during the summer season on the beaches of Cervia where every summer 80 sailors are employed on 9 km of coast.
The Master, expected to last 25 hours starting on May 4, 2023, will select Baywatch aspirants through physical and theoretical tests. It will consist of a path that includes, among others: learning the Cervia Rescue Protocol used in rescue operations; swimming tests in the pool and in the sea; rowing lessons; the simulation of an intervention at sea with the tools supplied (from the fly to the recovery table); the use of a defibrillator; lessons with the psychologist, as well as a program of theoretical lessons ranging from meteorology to the study of currents with Andrea Giuliacci. The qualified intervention of the Port Authority staff will also be requested for any conferences on safety at sea and search and rescue.
Cervia was the first municipality in Italy to introduce the use of the defibrillator on the beaches when it was not yet mandatory. The Local Rescue Protocol is also a unique model that involves the coordinated intervention of three sailors with predetermined tasks and roles, ensuring more effectiveness and at the same time greater safety for the operators themselves. Team coordination thus takes on fundamental importance. The intent of this Master's degree, which has no equal in Italy, is to provide rescue sailors with the most innovative and professional rescue techniques in the marine environment. Whoever is responsible for preventing dangers or rescuing people in difficulty at sea must know how to intervene quickly and determinedly and only by acquiring techniques and competence can the best safety standards be guaranteed and employing professionalism is the most effective way. This master's degree is aimed at young people who are starting a difficult job, reserved for those who enthusiastically want to take care of the safety of others.